Q&A: A look at questions about current US wildfiresKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Wildfires scorching hundreds of square miles of Kansas, Colorado, Texas and Oklahoma have been blamed in at least six deaths as of Wednesday. Thousands of people have been displaced by the wind-whipped flames. Here's a look at the situation: WHAT'S BURNING? A two-county wildfire in Kansas has consumed an estimated 861 square miles of land, eclipsing last year's record for the biggest single blaze in the state's recorded...

IRS strikes back as agents make big dent in identity theftWASHINGTON — The IRS strikes back: The tax agency reports that the number of identity theft victims plummeted last year after agents struggled for years to combat what has become a multibillion-dollar industry. The number of victims dropped by 46 percent, to 376,000, the IRS said. These taxpayers had their identities stolen by criminals who used their Social Security numbers and birthdates to obtain fraudulent tax refunds. The IRS stopped near...

WikiLeaks CIA files: Are they real and are they a risk?WASHINGTON — WikiLeaks has published thousands of documents that the anti-secrecy organization said were classified files revealing scores of secrets about CIA hacking tools used to break into targeted computers, cellphones and even smart TVs. The CIA and the Trump administration have declined to comment on the authenticity of the files. Prior WikiLeaks releases, which divulged government secrets maintained by the State Department, Pentagon an...

A look at the opposing sides on the GOP health care billWASHINGTON — A look at opposing sides as Congress considers proposed Republican changes to the Obama administration health law. ___ SUPPORTING THE BILL: President Donald Trump: "We're going to do something that's great and I'm proud to support the replacement plan released by the House of Representatives." ___ Vice President Mike Pence: "I really do believe this is an extraordinarily important moment in the life of our nation, and every Americ...

The Latest: New US travel ban blasted as like the originalSEATTLE — The Latest on Hawaii's lawsuit and legal efforts by other U.S. states challenging President Donald Trump's travel ban (all times local): 1:55 p.m. Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson says President Donald Trump's revised travel ban has "the same illegal motivations as the original." Ferguson on Thursday asked a federal judge to block the new order by ruling a temporary restraining order against the first ban to also to the...

White House announces steps to avoid defaultWASHINGTON -- The Trump administration is letting Congress know that it will begin taking steps next week to keep the government from an unprecedented default on the national debt. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a letter to lawmakers released Thursday that he will employ measures to avoid breaching the borrowing limit once the current suspension of the limit expires on March 16. Once that happens, Treasury will use a variety of book...

WikiLeaks CIA files: Are they real and are they a risk?Associated Press WASHINGTON -- WikiLeaks has published thousands of documents that the anti-secrecy organization said were classified files revealing scores of secrets about CIA hacking tools used to break into targeted computers, cellphones and even smart TVs. The CIA and the Trump administration have declined to comment on the authenticity of the files. Prior WikiLeaks releases, which divulged government secrets maintained by the State Depar...

North Korea fires 4 banned missiles into seaSEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea on Monday fired four banned ballistic missiles that flew about 620 miles on average, with three of them landing in waters that Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone, South Korean and Japanese officials said. The test-launches appeared to be a reaction to huge U.S.-South Korean military drills that those countries consider routine but that Pyongyang insists are an invasion rehearsal. It was not immediatel...

High school in Silicon Valley makes $24M from Snap IPOMOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Bake sales and car washes? Not for one Silicon Valley parochial high school that hit it big this week and, by doing so, highlighted anew gaping economic disparities in the region. St. Francis High School in Mountain View parlayed a $15,000 investment into a windfall of at least $24 million, capitalizing on a unique venture capital fund set up by the school's investment-savvy parents. The fund paid off when the company ...

Art of the parse: How politicians talk their way out of jamsWASHINGTON — In Washington, it's the art of the parse. Everyone splits rhetorical hairs from time to time, but politicians are especially adept at trying to dance their way out of a bind with carefully crafted explanations. Now, here comes Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who met with the Russian ambassador twice last year, maintaining that he was truthful when he told a Senate committee during his January confirmation hearing that he "did not ...

At least 3 dead after tornadoes touch down in central USLITTLE ROCK — Tornadoes touched down in the upper Midwest and northern Arkansas, killing at least three people as the spring-like storm system rumbled eastward on Wednesday. Compact but strong storms known as supercells raked parts of the central U.S. on Tuesday and Wednesday, causing damage from Arkansas, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. Meanwhile, wind-whipped wildfires destroyed homes in Texas. At Ottawa, Illinois, sta...

Trump gives GOP leaders rallying cry, roadmap for changeWASHINGTON — President Donald Trump gave Republican congressional leaders a rallying cry and even a roadmap as they try to push through a sweeping and divisive agenda on health care, taxes and more. In his first address to a joint session of Congress, Trump said largely what GOP leaders were hoping to hear Tuesday night, staying on-message and talking in optimistic tones, even weighing in at one point to settle a brewing dispute over how to re...

AP FACT CHECK: Trump takes credit he hasn't earnedWASHINGTON — President Donald Trump boasted Tuesday night about corporate job expansion and military cost-savings that actually took root under his predecessor and gave a one-sided account of the costs and benefits to the economy from immigration — ignoring the upside. A look at some of his claims in his prime-time speech to Congress: TRUMP: "According to the National Academy of Sciences, our current immigration system costs America's taxpayer...

What to watch for when Trump makes 1st address to CongressWASHINGTON — A presidential address to Congress is always part policy speech, part political theater. With President Donald Trump, a former reality TV star, there's extra potential for drama as he makes his first address to Congress. After a chaotic start to his presidency, Trump will be trying to project his administration as ready to stride forward on top priorities such as changes to President Barack Obama's health care law and a tax overha...

AP sources: White House to propose boosting defense spendingWASHINGTON — The White House will propose boosting defense spending and slashing funding for longtime Republican targets like the Environmental Protection Agency in a set of marching orders to agencies as it prepares its budget for the upcoming fiscal year. President Donald Trump's proposal for the 2018 budget year, which will be sent to agencies Monday, won't make significant changes to Social Security or Medicare, according to an administrat...

Pentagon presenting counter-IS plan to White HouseWASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is presenting the White House with a plan to "rapidly defeat" the Islamic State group, a Pentagon spokesman said Monday. The strategy includes significant elements of the approach President Donald Trump inherited, while potentially deepening U.S. military involvement in Syria. Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said Mattis provided the results of his 30-day strategy review ahead of a Monday afternoon Cabinet-level ...

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By ROBERT BURNS and LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated PressAssociated Press

AP-NORC Poll: US teens disillusioned, divided by politicsPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — In the days after President Donald Trump's election, thousands of teenagers across the nation walked out of class in protest. Others rallied to his defense. It was an unusual show of political engagement from future voters who may alter America's political landscape in 2020 — or even in next year's midterm elections. Now, a new survey of children ages 13 to 17 conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affai...

AP: VA data show low rate of discipline for drug loss, theftWASHINGTON — Doctors, nurses or pharmacy staff at the Department of Veterans Affairs' hospitals were fired or reprimanded in only a small fraction of thousands of reported cases of opioid theft and missing prescriptions since 2010, according to government data obtained by The Associated Press. About 372 VA employees were disciplined for a drug or alcohol-related issue across a network of 160 medical centers and 1,000 clinics over the last six ...

Doctors warn against teen pot use amid looser marijuana lawsCHICAGO — An influential doctors group is beefing up warnings about marijuana's potential harms for teens amid increasingly lax laws and attitudes on pot use. Many parents use the drug and think it's OK for their kids, but "we would rather not mess around with the developing brain," said Dr. Seth Ammerman. The advice comes in a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics, published Monday in Pediatrics. The group opposes medical and rec...